The authors reported the results of investigation of 70 patients with osteoarthrosis deformans followed up for 3-10 yrs. They defined 3 variants of a course of the disease: with rapid progression, slow progression, without noticeable progression. These variants differed in disease spreading, the frequency of arthrotic synovitis and the presence of hereditary predisposition. Signs of erosive arthrosis of the distal and proximal digital hand joints were noted in 12 patients with nodular polyosteoarthrosis. A characteristic signs in this group of patients was hereditary predisposition combined with local vegetative-vascular disorders and a strain on the digital hand joints, and degenerative affection of the cervical spine with the radicular syndrome.